Erling Haaland’s ruthless finishing fired Manchester City to a hard-fought 1–0 win over Brentford, delivering Pep Guardiola his 250th Premier League victory and another reminder of the champions’ relentless edge.
Guardiola became only the 16th manager to reach the milestone with a single club, but typically did it faster than anyone else, hitting the mark in just 349 matches. No one else has done it in fewer than 423.
It was all about Haaland once again. The Norwegian bulldozer shrugged off Sepp van den Berg to meet Josko Gvardiol’s looping cross, twisted free and buried a clinical strike past Caoimhin Kelleher. It was his third goal in a week and his 18th of the season for club and country.
City grabbed the lead early and then spent more than 80 minutes protecting it at the Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford huffed and puffed but created little, with City’s defence rarely troubled despite a scrappy and open second half.
The win lifts City to fifth heading into the international break, but Guardiola’s joy was tempered by another injury blow. Midfield anchor Rodri limped off after just 21 minutes, sparking fresh fears after his previous serious knee problem. The Spaniard, last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, looked in real discomfort as he made his way down the tunnel.
Brentford came into the game buoyed by their victory over Manchester United but were brought crashing back down to earth. The Bees have been solid at home this season but looked toothless against the champions.
New boss Keith Andrews, taking charge of his first top-flight side, went with a defensive back five and saw his team completely stifled in the first half. Incredibly, Brentford failed to register a single touch inside City’s penalty area before the break, the first time that has ever happened to them in 159 Premier League outings.
After half-time, the hosts finally showed some life. Michael Kayode headed over the bar as City briefly wobbled, but clear chances remained scarce. Igor Thiago, who already has five goals this term, had Brentford’s best opportunity when clean through on goal, only to be denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma’s sharp save.
City managed the final stages with typical control, grinding out the win even without their usual sparkle. Guardiola cut a satisfied figure at full-time, aware of the significance of his milestone but quick to praise his players’ grit.
For Brentford, the defeat leaves them 16th with just two wins from seven matches and plenty of work to do. For City and Haaland, it was business as usual a single goal, three points and another record for their unstoppable manager.